The present invention relates to product checkout devices and more specifically to a produce recognition apparatus and a method of obtaining information about produce items.
Bar code readers are well known for their usefulness in retail checkout and inventory control. Bar code readers are capable of identifying and recording most items during a typical transaction since most items are labeled with bar codes.
Items which are typically not identified and recorded by a bar code reader are produce items, since produce items are typically not labeled with bar codes. Bar code readers may include a scale for weighing produce items to assist in determining the price of such items. But identification of produce items is still a task for the checkout operator, who must identify a produce item and then manually enter an item identification code. Operator identification methods are slow and inefficient because they typically involve a visual comparison of a produce item with pictures of produce items, or a lookup of text in table. Operator identification methods are also prone to error, on the order of fifteen percent.
A produce recognition system is disclosed in the cited co-pending application. A produce item is placed over a window in a produce data collector, the produce item is illuminated, and the spectrum of the diffuse reflected light from the produce item is measured. A terminal compares the spectrum to reference spectra in a library. The terminal determines candidate produce items and corresponding confidence levels and chooses the candidate with the highest confidence level. The terminal may additionally display the candidates for operator verification and selection.
Obtaining recipe, nutritional, and other information for produce items is a tedious task, whether it be by selecting pull cards from a rack or by searching in cook books or other books. Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a produce recognition apparatus and a method of obtaining information about produce items.
In accordance with the teachings of the present invention, a produce recognition apparatus and a method of obtaining information about produce items are provided.
The produce recognition apparatus includes a station, a produce data collector with the station, a display on the station, an input device with the station, and a computer with the station which obtains produce data from the produce data collector, determines identification information associated with the produce item from the produce data, displays the identification information and navigation information for obtaining additional information about the produce item on the display, records a customer selection for the additional information through the input device, retrieves the additional information, and displays the additional information on the display.
The method includes the steps of obtaining produce identification information associated with the produce item using a produce data collector, displaying the produce identification information, recording a customer selection for additional information about the produce item, retrieving selected additional information, and displaying the selected additional information.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a produce recognition apparatus and a method of obtaining information about produce items, such as recipes.
It is another object of the present invention to make information about produce items, such as recipes, more readily available to customers.